Understanding the Brain

Examine serotonergic pathways, receptor signaling, and neuroplasticity while explaining why depression cannot be reduced to a simple chemical imbalance.

Explore the olfactory bulb, piriform cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, and neural pathways connecting odor recognition with autobiographical memory. Explain the difference between conscious recollection, emotional associations, and the brain's processing...

Serotonin plays an important role in mood regulation, emotional processing, sleep, and communication between neurons, but its relationship with depression is far more complicated than a simple chemical imbalance. In this episode of Understanding the...

Antidepressants influence neurotransmission relatively quickly, yet meaningful clinical improvement often takes longer. This episode explores receptor signaling, neural adaptation, stress circuitry, and neuroplasticity in depression treatment....

Imagine developing what appears to be schizophrenia almost overnight, only for doctors to discover that your immune system may be attacking receptors in your brain. Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis provides one of medicine’s most remarkable examples of...